Maharashtra Load shedding extends upto 12 hours per day
Saturday, 26 September 2009
TNN Mumbai

Maharashtra state, including a few suburbs and satellite towns, were facing the threat of a total blackout for 23 days between September 1 and 23.
MSEDCL says that, heavy load shedding in maharashtra is a result of the `overdrawing' of excessive power by some northern states from the national grid, virtually forcing Maharashtra to increase load-shedding in urban areas from 2.45 hours to 6.30 hours and from 8 hours to 12 in the rural parts. Following a decrease in rainfall and a subsequent increase in the demand for power, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana took the state's 913 MW power share, said the state energy department.

This eventually forced the state to increase the load-shedding in Mulund, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi, Panvel, Nashik, Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Kolhapur to 6.30 hours and up to 12 hours in rural areas.

"We have lodged a complaint and the situation is better now,'' said Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) MD Ajoy Mehta.

Despite the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) increasing charges of overdrawn power to Rs 10.50 per unit, northern states are overdrawing it. Following CERC norms, the charge cannot be recovered from the consumers and is to be borne by the state.

State energy secretary Subrato Ratho has complained to his counterpart in Delhi that the people of Maharashtra were put to great inconvenience once again because of the indiscipline on part of the northern states